God Gathers Us
Call to Worship - Psalm 37:1-8, 16
To be read aloud by someone in your home:
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
Opening Prayer
This is one of the Psalms you’ll read soon if you are reading through the bible in a year with us. For several weeks we’ve been taking one of those Psalms and reading it again as we begin worship.
In this time of Coronavirus, the first verse of this psalm is striking: “I waited patiently for the LORD”. How are you doing as you patiently wait on the LORD right now? How are others around you, and others you know in the church?
Take a moment and think about the things in your life, right now, that are NOT the way you want them to be - the things that you are wanting God to fix. Then think for a moment about others in the church - what are some of the other needs you know of, or can easily imagine based on what we all are experiencing?
Now, with these things in mind, read the Psalm aloud again - this testimony of one who waited patiently for the Lord.
Then, pray for God, lifting up your needs for patience and for help, and the needs of others. And ask God, as you worship, to help us to more fully put our trust in Him and to receive from Him the joy that He alone can give.
God Saves Us
Congregational Singing
We encourage you to sing - make a joyful noise! If you play an instrument, play! If you have some favorite hymns or choruses, pick one or two and sing! Or make use of other technology to play some music, and listen and sing along.
Below are some hymns you can make use of if these would be a help to you.
Offering
For everyone watching services online, we can still receive your offerings a couple of ways:
You can drop your offering in the locked mailbox outside the church office entrance
Or, you can mail them to the church at 393 Water Street, Augusta ME 04330.
Thank you for your continued support of Penney and its ministries!